As healthcare leaders and stakeholders gathered in chilly Nashville for ViVE 2025, one theme dominated conversations throughout panels, networking occasions, and off-the-record discussions: it’s time to show it.
From promise to proof – the demand for tangible ROI
Healthcare is not any stranger to daring claims. We’ve been listening to guarantees of improved workflow, higher outcomes, and enhanced effectivity in conversations for years. However lately, we’re seeing a shift — there’s a rising push for extra than simply the potential of an answer. Leaders are demanding proof of real-world outcomes that display ROI earlier than they decide to new options, or, even simply to think about renewing present product contracts.
The message at ViVE was loud and clear: organizations aren’t making alternatives primarily based on potential alone. They need to see issues in motion. They need extra dialogue on the influence on workflows and folks. And so they need to have the ability to verify with their friends. Distributors that again their claims with documented, quantifiable outcomes will stand out on this new surroundings.
Pricing and coverage headwinds
With evolving financial pressures and political dynamics, many well being programs are adopting extra conservative approaches to know-how selections. I’ve stated earlier than that there’s a widening hole between well being programs that may ‘fail quick’ and people that may’t afford to fail in any respect, and the uncertainty from each a income and expense aspect goes to shift extra programs into the latter class. Elevated scrutiny means consumers are extending the gross sales cycle and exercising extra diligence, deeper analysis processes, and extra accountable contracts tied to outcomes.
The potential for modifications in federal and state laws, reimbursement fashions, and AI governance is creating some hesitancy. Irrespective of how promising applied sciences are, many are weighing long-term implications and ready for the mud to settle earlier than closing the deal.
There’s nonetheless some strain to not miss the boat on rising applied sciences, like ambient listening. A panelist from a session I moderated famous that considerably lowered charges might make these instruments accessible for smaller, extra cash-strapped organizations. With documentation being a primary difficulty for a lot of clinicians, it’s no shock to see ambient listening entrance and heart this 12 months.
Balancing daring concepts with pragmatism
Regardless of warning, the demand for innovation stays excessive and on full show on the present flooring. Leaders acknowledge that standing nonetheless and letting this wave move them by isn’t an possibility. And, they perceive the very actual chance of being left behind by their opponents, notably within the face of ongoing workforce shortages, operational inefficiencies, and rising prices.
This rigidity between the drive to innovate and an more and more risk-averse surroundings forces distributors to steadiness daring concepts with sensible implementation. The crucial differentiators I heard from well being system leaders at ViVE had been interoperability, regulatory readiness, and workflow integrations that take issues off the plates of care groups, not add extra.
The subsequent decade of AI
Whereas ViVE offered instant challenges and alternatives, practically each panel discovered themselves asking the identical query, “The place are we going with AI over the subsequent few years?” There have been a fair proportion of ethical and moral discussions which can be positive to proceed because the reliance on AI continues to develop. However maybe the largest shift was the popularity that AI isn’t a function of a product (regardless of each product claiming to have AI options). Well being programs are beginning to acknowledge that time options leveraging AI are proliferating extra technical debt throughout functions and information. Extra are beginning to talk about fundamental infrastructure and information must assist a number of AI functions.
And gaps in belief haven’t gone away. AI governance is a rising precedence. As adoption accelerates, distributors should present audit instruments that supply transparency into decision-making processes and information sources. Embracing AI as a journey with iterations requires higher monitoring, validation, and ongoing compliance, and these are the areas distributors might want to concentrate on to safe and preserve long-term relationships with well being programs.
What’s subsequent? Turning perception Into motion
ViVE 2025 was a actuality verify for a lot of. The conversations in Nashville bolstered the concept whereas innovation stays important, distributors should navigate the fantastic steadiness between daring concepts and real-world implementation, demonstrating not simply promise however tangible outcomes.
Because the business strikes ahead, the themes from ViVE — interoperability, regulatory readiness, workflow integration, and AI governance — will proceed to form decision-making. The approaching years will take a look at whether or not digital well being options can really ship on their potential, not simply in principle however with a measurable, lasting influence.
Jason Taylor is the SVP of Progress at Panda Well being, with 30 years of expertise driving adoption of transformative applied sciences. Initially from Canada, Jason shortly developed a ardour for the potential of the U.S. Healthcare business and has spent the final eight years working with distinguished well being programs on digital options to enhance entry, expertise and outcomes.
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